6 month old EBF 15.25 POUNDS , does not BF when awake

Hi alll I am a mother to 6 month old boy, I am EBF him...nd just started on solids, fruits/veggies...I used to go to work nd he was bottllefed 2-3 times a day..I have seen multiple times when he is bottlefed more he wnt breastfeed....nd my flow has been going up nd down lot of times...then i wud stay home get him in schedule nd then get bck..but now he wnt bf when awake,my MIL has been feeding him cows milk wout telling me...now i m concerned if he ll ever feed regularly..
I am also concerned about his weight ...I have seen he gains well when I am home ,nd when I leave him he doesnt..My pediatrician said that he misses me..

I need help because I dont want to start formula but even dont want to starve him..I am planning to take him to my job.and see how it works..

Re: 6 month old EBF 15.25 POUNDS , does not BF when awake

Are you still going to work or home with baby full time now? I am confused on that point. In either case, how often is baby given a bottle and how much is in it? Could it be that baby is only nursing when asleep due to being overfed with the bottle when awake?
Is MIL baby's usual caregiver? WHY is she giving baby cows milk? Are you leaving her enough expressed breastmilk?

I do not understand what you mean about weight gain being less when you are working. Are you gone for longer than a typical 8-10 hours per day?

Cows milk is not suggested for infants of this age as a satisfactory replacement for breastmilk by the WHO or AAP or any other infant health organization as far as I am aware. IF a 6 month old baby needs more than what mom can provide, and donated breastmilk is not available, then formula is the suggested supplement. Solids will not 'fill the gap' for many months yet. All 'solid' foods (which means ANYTHING other than breastmilk or formula) should be "complementary" at this point. Which means, just enough so baby starts learning to eat. Not to live on.

I have no idea if your baby requires more than your milk or not, above is just FYI.

It would help to know

about how often baby nurses each day
how much breastmilk baby gets in bottles each day
how much cow milk your baby is getting each day
how much "solid" food baby is being given each day and how it is fed to baby.

A baby who is being filled up with baby food and/or cows milk may be feeling full but not gaining well. And even if baby is gaining ok, it certainly may impact baby's 'appetite' for nursing at the breast. The answer is not to starve baby into nursing but to gently encourage baby to nurse frequently and educate baby's caregiver on what and how to feed baby.

Re: 6 month old EBF 15.25 POUNDS , does not BF when awake

Ok ,so here is the background ,I am a pHd student ,so I go for almost 4 hrs at a time ,and then come back gaian for every two hours feeding..During 4 hours period I BF him while going ,then he is given 2 bottlefeeds usually 2-3 ounces till now with every feed..Sometimes , I have to stay longer so he would have to be given more bottlefeeds..I try to nurse him as often as I can but I have seen when I come home , he wont nurse or even latch...Then ,I have to stay home for 4-5 days get him to pattern of nursing and then he is Ok..I have done that like 5-6 times...because the nurse told me that may be he is getting too much bottles so he is not interested in nursing..

Recently ,at his 6 month wellness check-up my MIL tols that she has been giving him cows milk, I leave enough milk for baby to be BF but she thinks he should get 5-6 ounces every time so she mixes up ,because of that he developed gag reflexes and vomits a lott..

Yes ,she was the primary caregiver but now I have taken all in my hands , I take him to work with him..he still gives me hard time nursing like he wont latch for long ,he will get distracted and just suck once or twice and then leave...
I just started solid foods ,again my MIL wants to feed him a whole lot ,she give shim a ounce of water daily too...so he gets full and wont nurse on that feed time..

I am concerned because he is not gaining weight well..I feel 15 pounds is less for his age..so ,I would like to know how much milk he needs for his age..? and how can I get him to nurse well..I have tried warm bath together , I sing to him , moher-baby dance ,different positions but no luckk..on the other hand he recognizes the bottle and cries when he sees that...so I can only nurse him when is sleepy..

Re: 6 month old EBF 15.25 POUNDS , does not BF when awake

ok I am very sorry, I don;t know if its a language barrier or what but I am still a bit confused. From what I can gather, it sounds as if your baby has been overfed with bottles for some time. And yes this would definitely cause baby to not want to nurse as much.

because the nurse told me that may be he is getting too much bottles so he is not interested in nursing..

exactly. Yes! And if baby is getting someting like cows milk, which does not have enough calories for an infant, baby will fill up on that and possibly not gain as well. Not to mention that it is an allergy risk. What did the pediatrician say when your MIL said she gives baby cow milk?

Nursing habits change over time. So a 6 month old may nurse for short periods and not as often, and still be fine. IN general, a 6 month old will still be nursing 8 times or more in a 24 hour day. Some might nurse less often and be ok. Length of nursing session will vary tremendously, from 5 minute snacks to longer 'meals' of 10 to 15 minutes to 30 minutes or even way longer sessions where baby is hanging out and drifting to sleep on the breast.

If your baby has 'gone off' nursing due to being (over) fed with bottles, keep doing what you are doing-gently offering the breast frequently and avoiding bottles unless they are absolutely needed. It may take a little time to get back on track. Have you seen this? http://kellymom.com/bf/concerns/child/back-to-breast/

Cue feeding-nursing when baby wants, for as long or short as baby wants, is usually the best way to make sure baby is feeding enough. If baby needs a bottle because you are gone, 3-4 ounces of HUMAN BREASTMILK in the bottle should be plenty. And a separation of four hours baby only needs at most one or even, 0 bottles, depending on how often your baby nurses the rest of the day.

Your baby's weight sounds normal to me. But of course determining whether he is growing as he should depends on all his other weight checks during his life, plus height and head circumference. What did the pediatrician say?

Re: 6 month old EBF 15.25 POUNDS , does not BF when awake

I am guessing from your name that you are Indian? One thing I have noticed about my southeast Asian friends' babies is that they tend to be on the smaller end of the spectrum. Not that my observations count as data...

One thing you might consider would be giving your baby some vitamins. You're not supposed to give cow's milk to a baby under one because it can cause intestinal irritation which may cause the baby to become anemic. If that is a problem for your baby, a dropper of baby vitamins might solve it.

I'm really sorry your MIL wasn't following proper feeding procedure for your baby. I would feel very let down by that, were I in your shoes!

Re: 6 month old EBF 15.25 POUNDS , does not BF when awake

Pediatrician said he is fine , he said its ok for BF babies ,his height is above avg and head size is good too...But my husband and MIL are not convinced that only BFeeding is enough for him ,I want to feed him as long as I can and avoid formulas . But they think he needs more bcoz he is not chubby baby.For me ,I want him to be healthy and strong but dont know how to convince my hubby and MIL that this is the best for him..
@lllim momma : thanks for your advice , I would really consider that ..yes ,I am an Indian but my baby is not short ,he was born huge 8 pounder and his height has always been above avg.. so thats y I think his weight is less...Also ,on his 6 month wellness checkup he got his shots and then got fever and cold too , that time he lost a lot of weight...

I am literally struggling to feed my baby the best with hubby and MIL , ( they think cows milk is much better and formula is super food) .
Today he took feedings one while awake for 5 min and then while sleeping for 20 min...still during evening he refused on latching still when he was hungry..

I am not sure at such times should I give him bottles or wait for him to BF ..

Thanks for all support ladies...Its really good to pour my heart out when nobody understands at home..

Re: 6 month old EBF 15.25 POUNDS , does not BF when awake

Hi ,
I am Indian too and dd is relatively small at 1 year at 17.46 lbs but otherwise great. I completely agree with the pp.
Know it's extremely difficult handling mils but they have old concepts in mind. Would it b possible for u to take them to ur ped and get some accurate and up to date information for them.they may listen to the ped more.

Re: 6 month old EBF 15.25 POUNDS , does not BF when awake

So ,I have been continuously trying and now I am successful getting him latch for 5 min when awake ,but thats it..he wont suck for more than 5 min but will do more when sleeping..I am concerned now...because in few days we are going for a long trip and he wont be able to sleep with me ,how am I gonna feed him then..any suggestions ? I dont want him to loose weight again..
Lllmom : I have tried what you are saying allready but you know how stubborn MILs are ...